The national institutions to serve within their domains : PM Abbasi

Lahore : Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Saturday urged the national institutions to show mutual respect, because for being the constitutional bodies, they were bound to respect each other.

Addressing the launching ceremony of PM’s National Health Programme in Hafizabad district, he said the political decisions were made by the people at polling stations.

He said the health insurance card would ensure free of charge medical treatment of up to Rs 0.3 million to the entitled persons in best hospitals of the area.

The ceremony was also attended by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Federal Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar, Minister of State Arshad Leghari, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, Special Assistant to PM Dr Musaddik Malik, Mian Shahid Bhatti MNA, PML-N leader Afzal Tarar and senior officials from ministries and divisions, allied with the programme.

The prime minister who launched the health scheme by distributing insurance cards among the needy men and women from various localities of the district, said the people had already given their verdict on Nawaz Sharif’s politics in recent election in Lodhran. “You will see the repetition of this decision in July elections too,” he added.

He said the labeling of public representatives as mafia, thieves or dacoits was not appropriate as the government respected all institutions so the institutions were also bound to show mutual respect.

He said since the last two years, Nawaz Sharif was being portrayed as the lone accused in the country and being implicated on similar charges in different forms.

He said public representation was not an easy task, so while voting, the people should judge as who would be capable of representing them the right way and raise the national issues. Above all the, the moral authority of the candidate should be judged, he said and added the tendencies of serving one’s own interests and public’s could not go along.

He said under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership, the PML-N always resolved national and public issues and talked of country’s development. Even the projects executed during the last five years were more than those done during last 65 years, he added.

He reiterated that against 17,000 MW generated since inception, this government added 10,000 MW to national grid, besides ensuring surplus gas supply and enabling the country to export 0.6 million tons fertilizer that otherwise used to import one million tons of the commodity.

The prime minister said the government kept up its journey of development despite all conspiracies and sit-ins.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also urged the national institutions to serve within their domains.

He said National Health Programme was the vision of Nawaz Sharif who had thought of providing medical facility to the poor at par with the rich people.

He also thanked Punjab government, State Life and NADRA authorities for putting in their efforts to make the project a success.

He said the scheme was growing successfully and even many countries were consulting with Pakistan over the methods of programme’s successful implementation.

He said although the health was a provincial subject after the 18 Constitutional Amendment, Nawaz Sharif planned to extend federal government’s services in health sector without any political discrimination across the country.

He assured the gathering that the programme would be expanded and the shortcomings would be addressed.

He said the government was delivering and it was up to the people as whom they would elect in July elections.

The prime minister reiterated that the PML-N had decided not to allow rigging in Senate elections and resist those involved in horse-trading even before and after the polls. He viewed that the people contesting elections using their riches or some venal MPAs instead of public support, could neither serve the masses, nor the parliament.

He said it was only the parliament that went through accountability after every five years.

The prime minister agreed to the demands of establishing a university campus, construction of new roads and maintenance of old ones as requested by the local representatives. He also assured the provision of gas supply to the remaining villages of the district.

He also lauded the role of Minister Saira Afzal Tarar and her father Afzal Tarar who always served their people.

In her address, Minister for National Health Saira Afzal Tarar said the programme was launched after hectic efforts in 2015 and the government had been ensuring transparency in the programme with satisfactory level of 97 percent.

She challenged opponents who had been alleging the government of corruption to prove any embezzlement in any of the current government’s projects.

She said Hafizabad, also her constituency, had been uplifted at par with other mega cities, having three motorway links besides provision of gas and other facilities.